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Family
A. A few resources come to mind, depending on where you live one may yield better results than the other.
1) CastleConnolly. www.castleconnolly.com
An inexpensive membership service, CastleConnolly provides access to a searchable database to its members for finding top doctors and top hospitals. Limited access is available for free; premium memberships are about $25/year.2) Health Grades. www.healthgrades.com
This site lets you search for physicians or hospitals and gather information based on your location, the medical specialty, the number of years experience the doctor has, whether or not the physician has any disciplinary actions against him/her, satisfaction survey responses, etc. It is a bit commercialized, but appears to be a good (free) resource.3) Your local publications. In Atlanta we have a couple of resources, including Atlanta Magazine and The Atlanta Business Chronicle, which do research annually and report on a list of the top doctors, facilities, and executives in healthcare. The Business Chronicle operates in 42 markets nationwide…so you may want to search their archives for a listing near you. www.bizjournals.com
For what it is worth, I am not a doctor. I have worked in private healthcare advising wealthy families on medical issues related to long-term care…and occassionally we would be asked to help find facilities, physicians, service providers, etc. (If you issue has to do with geriatric care, another suggestion is to speak to a local professional geriatric care manager – go to www.caremanager.org to find one nearby. An experienced professional care manager will often have worked with multiple physicians in the area for multiple clients…they can have some great insights.)
At the end of the day, it helps to have some local insight…and compare what doctors tell you about their peers with the objective data you find online to draw your conclusions. Good luck!
One other piece of advise, don’t settle. It is important that you find a physician that you feel comfortable with. If you have the disposable income and live in a larger metro area, you may also want to consider a concierge practice where you can typically get more time and attention from your physician. (Just keep in mind, that ‘concierge’ does not guarantee the doctor will be a fit for you…you will still need to do your homework, and make your own decision.) You can also check out programs from professional healthcare advocacy services such as PinnacleCare International (www.pinnaclecare.com) where your membership gets you access to a healthcare advocate who can help you with your research.
I hope this is helpful.
Travis Dommert
The Lindquist Grouptdommert — Posted 08/08/08
Q. Is there any resource out there that offers a way to find great local doctors? I’ve been jumping from one doc to another for years without any luck.
wdot — Posted 07/11/08
